Dickinson College - Microcosm Yearbook (Carlisle, PA)

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J H I S T O R Y . of the College the president of the Board of Trustees and giving the faculty complete authority over problems of A discipline. In September, 1834, the College opened. Dickinf V son had been rescued from certain extinction and by wise 4 changes in its government was assured of a healthier existence than it had known. ' A faculty unequalled in the history of the College and probably unexcelled in any college of the day was assembled. John Price Durbin, thirtyfthree year olll Kentuckian, success' sively a cabinetfmaker, itinerant preacher, honor graduate at Cincinnati College, professor of languages at Augusta College, chaplain of the United States Senate, and editor of The Christian Advocate, was president. Young Merritt SOUTH COLLEGE ABOUT Caldwell, whose promising life was cut short by death, boy' 1870 ish Robert Emory, a beautiful soul, destined to succeed to the presidencyg twentyftwo year old john McClintock, soon to make a high reputation as an author of classical grammars and long to be remembered by the Negroes of Carlisle-if without sufficient cause-as their champion in an anti' slavery riot of 1847g and Wilham Henry Allen, inspiring teacher of the sciences, fated to become iirst president of Girard College, composed the faculty of the invigorated institution. They were great men, a peerless group, towering mightily in the minds of those who came under their influence. Their students in later years mentioned their names with a respect akin to awe and they lacked words to express the true moral and intellectual grandeur of their old professors. ' Durbin's elevenfyear regime saw an enlargement of the material resources of the College. The abandoned Theological School of the German Reformed Church in Carlisle was bought by the Trustees and after its destruction by iire was rebuilt as South College. The interior construction of West College was completed. East College was erected in 183 7. W Upon Durbin's resignation in 1845 the Trustees selected as his successor Robert Emory, a member of the faculty since the reorganization of the College. Sickness weakened the man and death cut short in 1848 what might have proved a brilliant administration. The next president, Jesse Truesdell Peck, who had received his educaf tional experience in secondary schools, was not fitted for the work before him and his adminis' tration, in consequence, was perplexed with stu' dent disorders. Charles Collins, succeeding after four years, enforced his authority over the stu' dents, acquiring among them the reputation of a disciplinarian and winning, if not their affection, surely their respect. A foolish scholarship sale plan, by which it was proposed to increase the endowment of the College, had been adopted by the Trustees shortly before Collins' coming. It was left to the new president to struggle with this illfconsidered scheme which, launched at a time when the College was prospering, had as i its immediate result the decreasing of income from tuition fees. Collins might have remained at his post to pilot the College through this storm ,N 1929 had not the demands of a large family caused him LovER's LANE, ALONG THE EASTERN WALI. OF THB CAMPUS, ERASED Eighteen 1-v??- V -

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QZGQECQ-L H I S T O R Y shabby little building, far too small for the needs of a college. He had accepted the principalship 1 of a college and found that he was to instruct boys with inadequate preparation. Nisbet wrote bitterly of his new home and of the College, yet he labored on for nineteen years-in faith with Dickinson. The frontier community in which he found himself held no appeal to a man who had moved in the cultured society of Edinburgh. The tolerf ance of religions and religious beliefs of the fronf tier, accentuated by the rationalism of the age, , called forth dire lamentarions from the orthodox TAVERN ON HIGH STREET IN THE Presbyterian theologian. The effervescent democf racy of the New World nauseated this English Tory of the Old. He failed to understand the movement into which he was thrown- the frontier-and he passed his life in America an almost tragic figure-so much respected, so little loved. - Shortly before Nisbet's death in 1804 a college house-West College-was erected, immediately destroyed by fire, and at once rebuilt on plans drawn by the United States Government Architect. Robert Davidson, who had held for nineteen years under Nisbet the chair of history and bellesflettres, succeeded the testy Scotsman and served ive years as acting principal. Aavain and solemn pedagogue, he was no administrator and the College declined miserably during his term. Jeremiah Atwater, coming from the presidency of Middlebury College in 1809, increased the enrolment but in the face of intolerable conditions was forced to resign with his entire faculty in 1815. After a vain attempt to inject life into it under the sick John McKnight, the College closed its doors in 1816. Dickinson opened in 1822 but during the subsequent administra- tions of john Mitchell Mason, of William Neill, and of Samuel Blanchard How, no improvement was shown. The oliicious meddling of the Trustees in matters of clisf cipline continued. The income of the College, even when supplemented by State grants, proved insufficient. The faculty was split by jealousy and faction. Lax moral standards in the town militated against student wellfbeing. Dickinson closed for the second time in 1832. The story of the first half century of Dickinson is the story of a hard iight lost. Yet over material obstacles the College had triumphed, gloriously. As its doors closed in 1832 Dickinson could point to a score of active leaders trained within its walls. John Bannister Gibson and Charles Huston were chief justice and justice respectively of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and William Wilkins was one of Pennsylvania's United States senators. Roger Brooke Taney was AttorneyfGeneral of the United States and James Buchanan was United States Minister to Russia. Robert G. Wilsoxi was president of the Ohio University, David McConaughy, of Washington College, and Matthew Brown, of Jefferson College. James Smith was giving his life and fortune to the battle against smallfpox. As its doors closed in 1832 Dickinson could also point to other scores of men soon to rise to the highest service to state, church, and fellowfmen. The tree had borne good fruit. Unexpectedly, however, the College opened. Learning of Dickinson's condition, the Baltimore and Philadelphia Conferences of the Methodist Church had made over' tures to the Trustees. An agreement had been reached and on June 6, 1833, the College, while not surrendering the nonfsectarian aspects of its charter, was formally transferred to the friendly auspices of the Methodist Church. With the experience of the iirst fifty years of the Dickinson story before them, the new sponsors at once secured amendments to the charter of the College, making the principal TIME or PRESIDENT Nisssr Seventeen

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H I S T O R Y to seek a more certain income. VV 'V I VV ' ifnfzis He was succeeded in 1860 by -V V5 , ing, f Y iii , Herman Merrills johnson, for , JV ,LQ V 5- A 5 7 ten years a member of the 4' V i V ,V ' VVjg gt . ' QV faculty. J gf L V l1VVl. l President Johnson met a 1 V LV. . Xqfggg V VVV 5,-'Vi crisis. The scholarship sale plan, . I V VVVVGV H, 1,14 1 a legacy from Collins' time, rose ll Il :li g?g,j1.,3Vg to plague the new man. Within . -slr L wif, .l- -' --'-' 'TT V V S , a year the Civil War broke and V' f 'A V . I ' ' 1 H at once the Southern students .. . ,- V 31. V ' V VV vgthdlrew. dEn1!olment declinegil f N A , . .f-1-,F s ar y an I was su este . - V T - thatpthe College close. if few - .ff a - .Zs-..- A. ' -'fi' :gee-3 more years found Dickinson with professors' salaries unpaid, with debts impending, with inf come diminishing. In 1866, how' ever, a brighter outlook for the College was brought by the Centenary of American Methodism. Donations from the Church increased the endowment of the College and the decreasing enrolment was checked. just as the prospect cleared, Johnson died. He had fought a good fight- and he had won. EAST COLLEGE Amour 1875, SHOWING THE PAGODA EIIECTED IN THE TIME or PRESIDENT DASHIELL After the brief fourfyear administration of Robert Laurenson Dashiell, remarkable only for certain minor material improvements and a host of student troubles, james Andrew McCauley was elected fourteenth president of the College. His sixteenfyear administration was to be the most progressive the College had known. The enrolment, which had declined dangerously in the years following the Civil War, gradually climbed again to normal. The endowment of the College in McCauley's term reached three hundred thousand dollars. After a suspension of eight years the Grammar School, descendant of the one which the Scotchflrish settlers of Carlisle had founded in 177 3, was revived. With the 'introduction of a modern language course Latin and Greek ceased to be required for admission into the College. West and East College buildings were thoroughly renovated and South College was encased with brick. Jacob Tome, a trustee, presented a scientific building in 1884. Mrs. james W. Bosler erected a library and chapel hall in memory of her husband and Lemuel R. Woodin anonymously donated a gymnasium to the College. A significant step was taken in 1884, when, after consideration of eight years, Dickinson was made coeduca' tional. D e s p i t e these lengthy strides forward McCauley was opposed. Shortly after his com' ing to Dickinson the Collegz had been split over the probably unjust removal of three mem' bers of the faculty. One of th: wronged men remained in Carl' isle, outspoken in justifying himself, active in winning chamf pions. The affair divided stu' WEST COLLEGE ABOUT 1870 Nineteen F , ' .ix 1 -' was . ' f 1- f ' ,. ' if . I ' 'a'.- 1 D T : 11 '- , J- sf.: , , .,' 7 ' - 'VW 51 : I .fl- I . L1l'l . I llfI. VM n..A 'T' 1' V '. 'L-J' Ali- : 4, l Q V lt' . LL' ll f jf 1 'VI' Af ' .l l - I I If f 'f , I .I bn . I .w - l 1 fi- , V.. sy g I , 'IV' -, ll' . , l,,1,f' , I , Q 5 I 'ff' - I. lj' f ' - -I Rf, Y 1' l' jf, V ai-In 'V I,- V -, If -1: .I ' ,, 4' 4 ' ,f-S 1 H I,--'J' of I , , r - , JL, I 1 J I. XX F.,-,, '- ff . -. I - -5,---. , I , ,ff N ..' . 4 , ,, -V X 'll X f ...d x I A , .f I, es. v ' I-, ff-, aw R fr- 5 Q, 1 ' '- , ' -. 1 . NC , ' , J' ' ,.,'.' f ' I I ', gi . :ii 'x' ' I . x V, V , V . .. V Q .I V , V . ,. I 'P' f ' f 7--1..l.a..+, L4-,, ,, ,V x. 1 I Y ' g' Y Y l